Beeman RS2 SS1000-H dual-caliber rifle combo – Part 1

What a package!Now, for something completely different, let’s look at Beeman’s dual-caliber RS2 SS1000-H air rifle. This rifle has many of the bells and whistles people want in a spring gun today. Not only does it come in the dual calibers of .177 and .22, it includes a scope and it comes in a black cloth carrying case. Everything fits inside the case with Velcro straps to keep it snug. It’s a very neat case!

The combo comes packaged in this attractive carrying case. Everything needed to shoot in both calibers except pellets.

You better know what you’re doing, cause the instruction manual won’t tell you much!The owner’s manual, on the other hand, is virtually useless! You would think that Beeman has no one on staff who can write a manual, because the pamphlet that accompanies this rifle has snippets of information from Beeman manuals dating back 32 years! It includes such useless information as how to cock a sidelever (which this isn’t) and how to handle an air pistol. I’m not kidding. A drawing of a spring rifle is taken from a Beeman/FWB 124/127 manual from 1976! The model you bought isn’t mentioned once.

Although this rifle FEATURES interchangeable barrels, there isn’t one scrap of information in their manual or anywhere else on how to change them! Beeman certainly hasn’t squandered any money on technical information!

However, changing barrels does seem to be very straightforward. I doubt if it will challenge most shooters.

This is a powerful gun, yet the markings say it shoots less than 7.5 joules!Another problem with this rifle is the presence of a German Freimark on the barrel, clearly and legally indicating the rifle develops less than 7.5 joules of energy. That’s about 5.5 foot-pounds. Yet, Beeman advertises the rifle as a 1000-f.p.s. rifle in .177, which would be around 20 joules. That makes the Freimark illegal, but only if the rifle is exported to Germany. I’m thinking the Freimark is there because these barrels are also found on different Beeman models that are truly at or below 7.5 joules.

Beeman – you got some ‘splainin’ to do! The “F” inside a pentagram means this rifle produces 7.5 joules of muzzle energy or less…but it doesn’t!

Lefties can shoot this one, too!The stock has a Monte Carlo profile but no raised cheekpiece, so everything is completely ambidextrous. This stock reminds me of a modern BSA stock. The pistol grip is very thick and the contours of the stock are all “melted,” meaning a very soft, rounded edge characteristic of BSA rifles and some Gamos. The wood finish is dark reddish brown, another BSA characteristic.

This is a large rifle, measuring about 46-3/4″ overall, with a pull length of just over 14-1/2″. The hardwood stock is extremely straight; there’s almost no drop to it. I can’t wait to shoot the gun because it should be a different experience.

The trigger is a Chinese copy of a Gamo with an automatic safety built in. That affects cocking to the point that you have to pull down the barrel a little harder and faster to cock because the safety has to be set at the same time. The safety also releases easily, making this an easy rifle to operate. It can also be reapplied at any time, if the rifle is still cocked. The trigger blade is wide with both longitudinal and cross grooves providing purchase, and a bright nickel finish making it stand out.

BB, are you SURE the trigger is a Gamo copy? This gun looks to be in the same family as the AR1000 based Beeman SS1000, which has a completely different (and better) trigger than Gamo. Your observation of the groves in the trigger blade also suggests that this is the case.

Look carefully at the rear of the trigger… are there 2 tiny, recessed adjusting screws in the trigger piece itself? This would be in addition to the larger tension adjustment screw behind the trigger – so there’d be a total of 3 screws. If so, it has the AR1000 trigger… which is a copy of the old Norica 2-stage trigger.

A Beeman made in China, say it ain’t so Joe! I guess there really is no Santa Clause. Anyway, I am anxious to see how well this Chinese gun is made and shoots. At least ‘Bam’ advertises the fact that they are made in China. It would seem a screw on barrel would not be very accurate. What next? Just curious, does Beeman have their own factory in China? Or do they just buy from someone else and put their name on it?Thanks

I’ll be interested to hear how this rifle performs. At first, I was going wild when I saw all the rifles with the Beeman name that were priced lower than the R-series until I found that they were not the same quality or made by the same manufacturer.

You guys are real troopers blogging away through the Thanksgiving holiday. On the other hand, one is supposed to be having fun at this time; I was just offline. B.B. thanks for the blog on your conversion. I can see how good writing had such an influence….:) The few Beeman articles I’ve read on airgunning are very compelling although some of the topics on his website are pretty far-flung. The most accurate airgun was not the sort of thing I was expecting–a multi-pump gun under $1000?! I would like to see a blog of it. I’m a little surprised that the FWB target rifles did not get a mention. I always thought they were the ultimate in airgun accuracy.

JoeG, thanks for your superlative review of the Daisy 953! One question I had about this gun is that despite a lot of favorable comments, there was no specific, in-depth review I could find. Admittedly, the Pyramidair comments section on the gun has improved since I checked, but nothing like your review. I’m sold. The cheapness-accuracy index is off the charts.

A technical question, B.B. While traveling through the snow with my airguns for the first time, I recalled your blog about drying the bore of the rifle after exposure to wet weather. Would it be okay to use this Dewey cleaning rod from the muzzle for my IZH-61 (the only direction possible for cleaning that I can see)? There was no special cleaning rod included with the gun, and since it has survived all the dumb things I’ve done with the multiple loading of pellets and the occasional dry-fire from miscounting shots, I don’t want to screw it up now. Thanks.

On the subject of coated rods, I noticed you had a comment a week or so ago about coated rods pick up material and become a file. You also mention using a protection sleeve? with a steel rod to protect the barrel. Could you go into the subject of cleaning rods in more detail? I am concerned since I have a coated one piece rod (not the Dewey).

Beeman and others believe that coated rods can get grit embedded in them that acts like abrasives. As for the rod guide, it’s used at either the breech or muzzle to prevent the rod from touching the sides of the bore there. They feel that steel rods can’t embed dirt, so they are safer, even though they are harder.

With airguns and .22 rimfires there is a problems because the barrels are made from dead-soft steel. They wear fast if abraded.

The rod guide sounds like a great idea, but I don’t see one on the maintenance section of Pyramidair site. Is there a place you can recommend for one?

Also, what is the deal with the Crosman 2100B? I had written off the BB/pellet guns in the accuracy department. But now I’ve read that this gun is either superior to, as good as, or at least comparable to the fabled Benjamin 397. Am I getting this right? Supposing I were to get this gun, would shooting only pellets preserve its accuracy? Accuracy is my first priority, but if shooting BBs does not have an adverse effect, I’m also a fan of repeaters. Thanks.

You’ll have to search like the rest of us. I only have one for my Polish .22 rimfire military trainer.

Guides are hollow tubes that go into the bore to protect the rifling at the muzzle and the chamber at the breech. They are difficult to make for .177 guns because the cleaning rods are so close to bore size.

If you can’t use a guide, and you probably won’t be able to find o0ne, then clean from the breech if at all possible. A rubbed breech is less damaging than a rubbed muzzle.

As for the 2100B being as good as a 397 – I haven’t heard that. It is a pretty good gun, though. I suppose by comparable you mean in accuracy and power? I don’t think it is comparable in either category.

BBI am still a little confused by the China connection. I have read that it is a good deal to buy a Bam product, for instance the B 26. And then with a good tune, you could have a very nice rifle equal to the Beeman R9. Are these Chinese Beemans (the dual barrel on review) made from the same plant. Are they in the same category as far as quality? I am trying to decide for my next purchase to buy a Panther in 22.cal. vs. the Bam B 26. I already have the RWS 34 in 177. and love it. But I am intrigued by the Bam series. Can you give me your opinion please? Thanks

Looks like I read too much into your comments last Friday that the Crosman 2100B could do everything one wants within 20 yards and that one of the advantages of the 397 compared to it was that it could be passed on to kids which I have no interest in doing. It’s nice to know that the 397 is still going strong.

If there’s anything to subliminal advertising then reviewbamb30reviewbamb30…. The cheapness/accuracy index looks to be very high on this one.

This is really a great site loaded with information that I would be happy to pay for! The only thing is there is no links to the next sagment of the article in a multi part article, unless I’m blind and its staring me in the face. I did find out though that if you click on the last sagment of an article you then are given links to all the previous articles of that sagment. Or I also found that you can do a search that will take you to a list of all the links, however this method did not help when looking for the next sagment of “tuning chinese air rifles” Oh well, its still the best site on the the net that I’ve found.

Are you doing this as a joke? This is the fourth similar question I have answered for you today.
Please ask ONE TIME, then give me a chance to answer.

You keep going to the first part of a multi-part series.
Any search you would have conducted to find the subject would have revealed most or all of the parts, so this is not a mistake.

Use the Search function on the right of the page to find all the parts of a particular series. In this case, there have been 8 parts.
Each part will have links to the earlier parts, not the other way around.

You’re right, the instruction manual wont tell you much, but it actually does come with a spare instruction book that tells you how to install the barrels. Also, the spring rifle drawing is to give you an idea of what the mechanism is.

Welcome to the blog. The Beeman company was sold to the Chinese several years ago. The quality European guns and pellets continue to be sold and serviced by Pyramyd Air, but the guns that are made in China, like yours, are distributed through Chinese channels, only. They do not maintain a high level of presence in the U.S. and are not known to support their products

You might give the Pyramyd Air tech department a call (888-2623-4867) and see if they might have an old gun case for your rifle laying around somewhere.